Speaking Out

The following letter was sent to President Judith Rodin and Almanac
for publication. (see response below)

Unlock the Doors

Ten years ago, in July 1990, the US Congress passed, and President Bush
signed into law, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Its provisions
went into effect in a staged fashion. They all applied by the time I came
to the Penn campus in August of 1992, and certainly by the time you took
office, in the summer of 1994.

A professor in another department mentioned he saw me moving very fast
to get to the class I teach. To his comment, I replied, "Sometimes
I move as fast as Judith Rodin." His response? "Nobody
moves as fast as Judy Rodin!" Would that it were so, in this area.

Can you move fast to have Houston Hall fully accessible at the time
it opens? Can you move fast to get the electronic door openers operating
at Logan Hall and Williams? Can you move fast to get the elevator panels
lowered in Williams?

How fast can you modify those Locust Walk buildings so that Penn students
with mobility impairments can do more than go up to the first step and stop?

How fast can you open all the locked doors at Penn that no one knows
how to open, so people with mobility impairments can get to lectures and
meetings and special events? How fast can you build a ramp to the main entrance
of Van Pelt, or open the locked door at the Rosengarten Reserve entrance
to all? Before I graduate, so I will be able to explore the library as a
scholarly resource?

It's going to take lightening speed to modify those Locust Walk buildings
to have them accessible by the fall of 2000. Can you and Penn move that
fast?

Please move fast. The law is ten years old, and now is the time for
equal access at Penn for the mobility and sensory impaired. Please move
fast because you want to see equality of access to the educational benefits
of Penn.

And please let me know, because I'm moving fast, too, and I don't expect
I'll be here when it's done.

--Sigrid Peterson, ABD Religious Studies; Convener, Penn
Students (and Faculty and Staff) with Disabilities (PSWD, or Password, on
courses.sas.upenn.edu at Special, logon as "signup," and use "guest"
as the password)

Response

Ms. Peterson raises important issues concerning the accessibility of
Penn's campus to the disabled, issues that Penn takes extremely seriously.
Through our ongoing efforts, Penn has succeeded in making most of the campus
accessible to individuals with disabilities. In order to ensure that the
Penn community is fully informed with respect to access, we have created
the Penn Access Website (http://www.facilities.upenn.edu/mapsBldgs/pennaccess.php3),
which provides a ready resource of information and instructions on building
access.

In addition to what we have already accomplished, Penn is continually
working to increase the accessibility of our campus. This past year Penn
installed automatic doors at DRL, Van Pelt and in Sansom Place West. We
are making elevators accessible in Sansom Place East and in DRL. Restrooms
were made accessible in Van Pelt, DRL and GRW. New construction on Sansom
Place provided ramping, thereby making Sansom Place fully accessible.

Perelman Quad, including Houston Hall, will be fully accessible when
it opens. Logan Hall and Williams Hall are already accessible, along with
a great number of other buildings. We are currently in the process of determining
what measures should be taken to make the Locust Walk programs accessible.
Within the next six months additional renovations will be made to Moore
restrooms and DRL restrooms and doorways.

Despite these efforts, we realize that there is more work to do. We
know that not all campus buildings are accessible at this time. As we continue
our efforts, we are responsive to any request that a program be provided
in an accessible location. If a class or event is scheduled in a non-accessible
location, Penn will quickly move the location of that event or class in
order to avoid creating a hardship for any individual. The Program for People
With Disabilities, located in the Office of Affirmative Action and Equal
Opportunity, exists to address disabilities issues, including access issues,
as expeditiously and effectively as reasonably possible.

As technology and methods of increasing accessibility improve, Penn
will continually improve. In the past ten years, since the Americans With
Disabilities Act became law, Penn has moved a very long way. Although we
are in compliance with all applicable legal requirements, our goal is to
continue to improve. We will continue striving to reach that goal.

--Omar Blaik, Vice President Facilities Services

Actively Observing MLK Day

I applaud Dr. Rodin's and the University Administration's decision.
I sincerely hope that all members of the University community, don't just
view this as another day off but use this as an opportunity to actively
participate in the various programs that will be offered on campus to commemorate
Dr. King. I invite all members of the Penn community to submit any program
ideas/suggestions for the MLK 2001 Celebration and Symposium to the following
address: lewisj@pobox.upenn.edu.

Speaking Out welcomes reader contributions. Short, timely
letters on University issues can be accepted by Thursday at noon for the
following Tuesday's issue, subject to right-of-reply guidelines. Advance
notice of intention to submit is appreciated. --Eds.